Place everything but the tomatoes in a blender and puree. Dribble on sliced tomatoes and let stand 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with Greek Kalamata olives.

-- The Repository

Tip of the Week: Avoid rubbery chicken

Chicken is easy to wreck on the grill. We’ve all endured that dry, rubbery stuff, the result of overcooking.

Don’t use boneless/skinless pieces. They dry out faster and have less flavor. Place the pieces 6 to 8 inches from your heat source. Sear the skin side first.

Remember that white meat takes longer to cook than dark, so start the white 5 minutes before the white. Grill covered, about 10-12 minutes to the side, until golden. Basting with barbecue sauce helps seal in the juices.

-- The Repository

Did You Know?

Scottish craft brewery BrewDog has produced a 55 percent alcohol by volume beer called The End of History.

Would You Buy It? Measure Up Bowl

Details: It’s a porcelain bowl marked in ½-cup or ¼-cup increments so you can measure out the amount of food you want to eat. Microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe, it comes in two sizes: 1 cup and 2 cup.

Availability: target.com and delight.com

Suggested retail price: $29.99 for a two-bowl set

Comments: It’s our opinion that diners generally have trouble estimating the amount of food they eat, so this is a practical idea. But we’re troubled by the price, which we feel is extremely high. “It would make a nice gift.” “You could mark your own bowls for less money.” “It’s classy looking.”

Would you buy it? Although we love the idea, we wouldn’t buy it at the suggested retail price.

-- State Journal-Register

Food Quiz

One version of this soup is made with a cream base, another uses a tomato base. Name this popular starter.

A. Cioppino
B. Bouillabaisse
C. Clam Chowder
D. Borscht

(www.funtrivia.com)

Answer is at bottom of column

Wise to the Word: Waldorf salad

Created at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the 1890s, this salad originally contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts later became part of the dish. It is usually served on top of a bed of lettuce.

-- www.epicurious.com

Number to Know: 1,330

Calories in an Oreo Layered Sundae from Baskin-Robbins – calorielab.com

The Dish On …

“The Lost Art of Real Cooking” by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger

This book heralds a new old-fashioned approach to food -- laborious and inconvenient, yet extraordinarily rewarding and worth bragging about.

From jam, yogurt and fresh pasta to salami, smoked meat and strudel, Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger arm you with the knowledge and skills that let you connect on a deeper level with what goes into your body.

Ken and Rosanna offer a wealth of recipes, history and techniques that start with the basics and evolve into dishes that are entirely your own.

-- Amazon.com

From the Beer Nut’s Blog: Vote for Sam Adams

Samuel Adams is sponsoring the sixth annual Beer Lover’s Choice program, where beer lovers can sample two beers and then vote on which one will become part of the Sam Adams lineup.

This year, the two choices are the Belgian-style IPA and the American Rye.

The Belgian-Style IPA combined everything you’d want from both an IPA and the traditional Belgian yeast. The American Rye was just a darn good beer – you get a lot of spice from the rye used, along with good hop character.

To read more from the Beer Nut, visit http://blogs.townonline.com/beernut/